Saint Augustine's University alumni call on Board of Trustees to resign amid accreditation loss

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- St. Augustine's University has until Saturday, March 15th to submit its written notice of arbitration to the Sothern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

This comes after the school lost its accreditation appeal earlier this month.

Thursday the community and St. Augustine Alumni are came together for a meeting to discuss steps. Benjamin Johnson with the SAVE SAU Coalition said the community is asking questions and has concerns. Johnson is a 1983 graduate. His parents met on campus and he is invested in the university.

"We have continued to fight to be able to save our university and our legacy, and this is some of the things that we're going to talk about," said Johnson.

"We have always been able to deliver as an institution. And this is a shortcoming, but it is a hurdle that we can, we can recover from," he continued.

But there is a lot to recover from according to an appeals committee. SAU failed to comply with seven core requirements and standards including governing board characteristics, financial resources, and control of finances.

During the meeting, leaders said they've been left in the dark by the current board. Some even said they were stopped at the gate trying to visit campus as alumni.

They are blaming the HBCU's Board of Trustees and their financial mismanagement for a loss of accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, and are calling for the board to resign.

"Ask yourself, is it about you or is it about the legacy? If it's about the legacy then they should step down," said alum Steven Williams.

But unless they do so voluntarily, the only way it would happen is if the State Attorney General's (AG) office intervenes. The AG's office has already raised concerns over a $70 million land lease deal.

The group said if a new board comes into place, there are donors who would be more willing to step in to help the university.

"We're meeting with partners to say look once you remove this board, we're coming in because we know St. Augustine's is needed in this area," Williams said.

But even if that happens, it would only begin a long process of repaying the school's debt, and then getting clean audits they would need to eventually be accredited again.

"Dorms have to be repaired that's another 20 to 30 million, so we're far from being back to where we need to be but I tell you what once we do it, it will be where it needs to be," Williams said.

All they want is a fighting chance to make that happen.

"Just hold out hope, it may be 5, 10 years we don't know how long it's going to take but at least the effort is being put forth to make that happen," said Veronica Scott-Johnson with Save SAU.

University leaders said they would move forward with arbitration to ensure students can graduate from an accredited university. The arbitration process could last up to 90 days. All decisions through arbitration are final.

The school lost their appeal earlier this month.

"They have to bring the correct documents to the table that SACS has requested, and to date, that has not happened so the accreditation is denied. It's not something that was surprising for me, but it was, it was disappointing in that we have always been able to deliver as an institution. "

St. Augustine's University has struggled with financial problems, lawsuits, and accreditation concerns. Love Gaillard, a 1996 graduate of St. Aug's, has followed the university's struggles closely while living in Newark, New Jersey.

She highlighted some of her concerns as an alum including poor campus conditions, financial mismanagement, and the board of trustees' lack of transparency.

"Some really bad decisions made, and there's no one who will help. And so, I'm saying our last plea is to get all of our politicians involved because this is a historic monument of a school. It's not just any old school," Gaillard said.

She also shared some of her solutions. Gaillard is calling for a national campaign of support for the HBCU. She suggests getting congressional leaders involved.

"You can contact your senator and Congressman because they have to hear you out and fight on your behalf. And you'll say, Well, what does my congressman from Atlanta have to do with Raleigh? Call them anyway, because they all talk. This is an across-the-aisle conversation we must have."